Ice-creeper.



No. 808,870. PATENTED DEG. 26, 1905. J. D. HOLT.

ICE OREEPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1905.

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lCE-CREEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed May 5, 1905. Serial No. 258,951.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. HOLT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Carnegie, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Creepers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in creepers for shoes, and relates more particularly to a novel device adapted to be attached to the sole of the shoe in such a manner that it can be readily removed at any desired time.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive and simple form of creeper which can be easily and quickly attached to the sole ofa shoe adjacent to the heel thereof and manipulated whereby it will provide sharp projections or points adapted to engage in smooth surfaces, such as frozen ground or ice, when it is desired and manipulated to place the prongs or projections whereby the wearer of the creeper can walk upon smooth or polished surfaces without injuring the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide creepers, one creeper being adapted to be used upon each shoe of the wearer, novel means being employed to firmly and posi tively retain the creeper in engagement with a shoe while it is being worn.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a creeper adapted to be used upon the right shoe of the wearer. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the creeper adapted to be used upon they left shoe. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the creeper illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of said creeper. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the creeper as applied to the sole of a shoe. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the opposite side of the creeper, and Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the creeper in its entirety.

In practice each creeper comprised in the set is constructed similar, with the exception that one of the creepers is adapted to be applied to the shoe for the right foot and the other is adapted to be applied to the shoe for the left foot.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a creeper for the right shoe is illustrated, and this creeper comprises a plate 1, the one end of which is provided with an outwardly-extending lug 2, carrying a depending headed stud 33. The opposite end of the plate 1 is sheared to provide outwardly-extending lugs which are bent upwardly to form substantially hookshaped clips 4 4. The one edge of the plate 1 is sheared, as indicated at 5 5, forming a spring tongue 6 and lugs which are bent to form creepers 7 7. In the keepers 7 7 is revolubly mounted a substantially U- shaped member 8, preferably constructed of heavy wire or malleable iron. The member 8 is provided with outwardly-extending arms 9 10, the arm 9 being bent upon itself, as in dicated at 11, and then bent downwardly to form a prong or point 12. The arm 10 is bent downwardly to form a point or prong 14. The central portion of the member 8 is bent out of alinement with the remainder of a the member 8, as indicated at 15, forming a portion adapted to lie in engagement with the spring or resilient tongue 6 and normally retain the member 8 in any fixed'position to which it may be moved. The reference-numeral 16 designates a piece of wire bent around the headed stud 3 and provided with outwardly-lying ends 17 18, the end 17 bein bent upwardly and inwardly, as indicate at 19, while the opposite end 18 of the wire is bent upwardly, as indicated at 20, then upon itself, as indicated at 21, and then inwardly, as indicated at 22, the inwardly-extending ends 19 22 lying in approximately a horizontal plane.

In Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings a creeper adapted to be used upon the left shoe of the wearer is illustrated, and the construction of the creeper is practically the same as the one just described, with the exception that the clips 4 4, wire 16, and member 8 are constructed reversely to the creeper illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and it is not deemed necessary to describe said creeper in detail.

The manner of applying my improved creeper to the sole of a shoe is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings and is as follows: We will assume that the creeper illustrated in Fig' 1 of the drawings is to be applied to the sole 23 of a shoe, at which time the substantially hook-shaped clips 4 4 of the creeper are placed in engagement with the outer edge of the sole 23 adjacent to the heel and the end 19 of the wire 16 is placed over tne opposite edge of the sole, as indicated at 24. The end 22 of the wire 16 is then raised and moved into engagement with the sole 23, as indicated at 2A1, the inwardlyex tending ends 19 22 of the wire engaging upon the top edge of the sole and firmly retaining the creeper in engagement therewith. In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have illustrated the member 8 in position to be used when the wearer desires to walk upon smooth or icy surfaces, and it will be observed when referring to said figure that the prongs or points 12 14 of the member extend downwardly in a plane below the bottom of the heel of the sole. In Fig. 6 of the drawings the member 8 is illustrated in position when the wearer of the same desires to walk upon smooth surfaces or on carpet without tearing or injuring the same. The central portion of the member 8, together with the spring or resilient tongue 6, is adapted to retain the mem ber 8 in either of the positions illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, and it is an extremely simple operation for the wearer of the creepers constructed in accordance with my invention to manipulate the same at any desired time and also to remove the creepers entirely from the shoe.

In connection with the creeper it will be observed that I have provided a plate 1 with a depending spur or prong adapted to engage in the surface simultaneously with the depending prongs or points 12. In this instance I have illustrated one spur 25, which is located upon the plate 1 diametrically opposite the resilient tongue 6; but I may employ a plurality of spurs, which may be conveniently arranged along the edges of the plate 1. These spurs are preferably formed by l i i I stamping the plate 1 when providing the clips 4 41 or 4: 4 and the lug 2.

I desire to call particular attention to the simplicity in construction employed in con nection with my improved creeper, and while I have herein described the preferred manner of constructing the same it will be noted that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A creeper comprisii'lg a plate having outwardly-extending lugs, a wire pivotally mounted upon one of said lugs, and having its ends bent inwardly and adapted to engage one side of the sole of a shoe, the other of said lugs being bent to form substantially hook-shaped clips adapted to engageupon the opposite side of the sole, a substantially U shaped member pivotally mounted upon said plate and having its ends bent downwardly and terminating in sharp prongs, means carried by the plate and coacting with said U- shaped member to retain said member in horizontal alinem ent with the plate, substantiallyas described.

2. A creeper comprising a plate, substantially hook-shaped clips carried by said plate and adapted to engage the one edge of the sole of a shoe, a wire pivotally mounted upon said plate and adapted to engage the opposite edge of the sole, a member pivotally mounted upon said plate, said member having depending prongs, and means carried by said plate for retaining said member in its active and .inactive positions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES D. HOLT.

. Witnesses:

E. E. POTTER, H. C. EVERT. 

